Yep, We're all gonna DIE!

[JackLuis]

While we fixate on coronavirus, Earth is hurtling towards a catastrophe worse than the dinosaur extinction

At several points in the history of our planet, increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have caused extreme global warming, prompting the majority of species on Earth to die out.

In the past, these events were triggered by a huge volcanic eruption or asteroid impact. Now, Earth is heading for another mass extinction – and human activity is to blame.

My research suggests the current growth rate of carbon dioxide emissions is faster than those which triggered two previous mass extinctions, including the event that wiped out the dinosaurs.

The world’s gaze may be focused on COVID-19 right now. But the risks to nature from human-made global warming – and the imperative to act – remain clear.

Before industrial times began at the end of the 18th century, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere sat at around 300 parts per million. This means that for every one million molecules of gas in the atmosphere, 300 were carbon dioxide.

In February this year, atmospheric carbon dioxide reached 414.1 parts per million. Total greenhouse gas level – carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide combined – reached almost 500 parts per million of carbon dioxide-equivalent

Trumpublicunts will kill us all in their pursuit of quarterly profits!
......

 

[JackLuis]

Pacific clean-up after homes ‘blown to smithereens’ by superstorm

Tens of thousands of people remain homeless in Vanuatu a week after Tropical Cyclone Harold pummelled the impoverished Pacific nation, smashing houses and destroying crops, aid workers said Tuesday.

The cyclone careened through the South Pacific last week, peaking as a Category Five superstorm that gouged a trail of destruction across the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga.

Tens of thousands of people remain homeless in Vanuatu a week after Tropical Cyclone Harold pummelled the impoverished Pacific nation, smashing houses and destroying crops, aid workers said Tuesday.

The cyclone careened through the South Pacific last week, peaking as a Category Five superstorm that gouged a trail of destruction across the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga.

Governor says South Carolina faces ‘new disaster’ after tornadoes kill 9

COLUMBIA, S.C. — “We have a new disaster on our hands now,” Gov. Henry McMaster said Monday.The governor was speaking Monday at one of his regular news conferences to update the state on the coronavirus outbreak. But South Carolina suffered another blow early Monday when heavy storm winds and tornadoes struck the state from the Upstate to the Lowcountry.McMaster said the state is assessing the financial impact of the storm damage so the state could pursue a disaster declaration and receive federal support to help with the recovery.Property damage was reported across South Carolina on Monday.

This just after the same storm system passed thru Mississippi!

Mississippi hit with two ‘catastrophic’ EF4 tornadoes at the same time: ‘This is flattening everything in its path’

UPDATE: on April 12 the reports said that the winds were over 200 miles per hour, which would indicate an EF5 rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale. Upon further examination, the National Weather Service announced April 13 that the wind speed didn’t go higher than 170 mph. The deathtoll has also increased to over 30 people since first reporting, over 24 hours ago.

 

[hogjack]

Uh. Eventually. Happens to everyone but the immortal. And the immortal are real asshats at times.

 

[JackLuis]

Eurasian ice sheet collapse raised seas eight meters: study

If the past is prolog, Yep, we're all gonna die sooner rather than later!

The melting of the Eurasian ice sheet around 14,000 years ago lifted global sea levels by about eight metres, according to new research published Monday that highlights the risks of today’s rapid ice cap melt.

Earth’s last Glacial Maximum period began around 33,000 years ago, when vast ice sheets covered much of the Northern Hemisphere.

At the time, the Eurasian ice sheet — which covered much of Scandinavia — contained approximately three times the amount of frozen water held in the modern-day Greenland ice sheet.

While Earth is heating everywhere, parts of the world such as the poles are warming far faster than others.

Atmospheric concentrations of planet-warming CO2 were around 240 parts per million at the time, compared with over 415 ppm currently.

The Greenland ice sheet, which contains enough frozen water to lift global sea levels more than six meters, is currently melting at record rates, losing more than 560 billion tonnes of mass in 2019 alone.

Miami will just be a sand bar off the Florida shores soon.

 

[JackLuis]

Wild Weather and earthquakes plus Murder Hornets!

Asian giant hornet invasion becomes latest 2020 concern

https://media4.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2020_18/3335076/200503-asian-giant-hornet-cs-215p_1aa348891e11f76d684849d647e8df31.fit-560w.jpg​

The term "murder hornet” began to trend online as the internet latched onto the species' invasion as yet another strange development of 2020.

An invasion of Asian giant hornets became the latest 2020 worry — and internet sensation — as the term “murder hornet” began to trend over the weekend.

The first spotting of the two-inch Asian giant hornet, or vespa mandarinia, was verified in the United States in December, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The insect does not generally target people or pets, but is a deadly threat to the already at-risk honeybee hives.

Giant hornets of this species apparently enter a “slaughter phase” where they decapitate honeybees and destroy entire hives in the span of a few hours, according to the department.

If they kill off the honeybees, what will pollinate our crops?

 

[akatrex]

No . . . Your going to DIE!.

I have protected my friends and my family via the the 2nd Amendment.

My family and I lived thru the 7.1 Loma Prieta Earth Quake.

I had the pleasure of working and living in both the Sierra Nevada's and Yosemite National Park back country for 6 years.

Not I or my family are going to DIE!

We planned for something like this for years.

We had tender deer back straps last night . . . Yummy Yummy!

 

[JackLuis]

No . . . Your going to DIE!.

I have protected my friends and my family via the the 2nd Amendment.

Not me or my family are going to DIE!

Your AR will not help against a 7.5 Earthquake dumbass!

 

[akatrex]

Your AR will not help against a 7.5 Earthquake dumbass!

No . . . Your going to DIE!.

I have protected my friends and my family via the the 2nd Amendment.

My family and I lived thru the 7.1 Loma Prieta Earth Quake.

I had the pleasure of working and living in both the Sierra Nevada's and Yosemite National Park back country for 6 years.

Not I or my family are going to DIE!

We planned for something like this for years.

We had tender deer back straps last night . . . Yummy Yummy!

 

[akatrex]

Your AR will not help against a 7.5 Earthquake dumbass!

Jack "ASS" Luis,

A 22 Caliber bullet is WAY TOO INEFFECTIVE against the INFIDEL ZOMBIES!
Did you even know the AR-15 shoots a 22 Caliber Bullet?

A 45/70 is the BEST way to dispatch INFIDEL ZOMBIES!
The number one Guide Gun in Alaska!

https://az809909.vo.msecnd.net/thumbnails/0009736_re-elect-that-mf-hat_300.jpeg

PM Me and I will send you one?

 

[Fuzzy1975]

Jack "ASS" Luis,

A 22 Caliber bullet is WAY TOO INEFFECTIVE against the INFIDEL ZOMBIES!
Did you even know the AR-15 shoots a 22 Caliber Bullet?

Did you know the AR-15 is made in 52 different caliber combinations....
the .223 and the .22 just happen to be very popular...

But of course you know this, cause you are not really as stupid as you appear to post...

Chuckles

 

[JackLuis]

I'll see your .22 and raise you a 629!

 

[akatrex]

I'll see your .22 and raise you a 629!

Yes I own a S&W 629 in 8 3/8

 

[akatrex]

Did you know the AR-15 is made in 52 different caliber combinations....
the .223 and the .22 just happen to be very popular...

But of course you know this, cause you are not really as stupid as you appear to post...

Chuckles

Fuzzy1975 Chuckles

.300blk
$$
Barrel
Home defense, hunting, target shooting
6.8 SPC
$$
Barrel, Bolt, Magazines
Competitive shooting, hunting
6.5 Grendel
$$$
Barrel, Bolt, Magazines
Competitive shooting, hunting
.458 SOCOM
$$$$
Barrel & Bolt
Hunting
.50 Beowulf
$$$$
Barrel & Bolt
Hunting
Ballistic Comparison
Cartridge
Velocity*
Energy**
Drop at 300 yards***
Effective Range
.300blk
125gr @ 2200fps
1300ft-lbs
-25”
350 yards
6.8 SPC
110gr @ 2500fps
1500ft-lbs
-19”
450 yards
6.5 Grendel
120gr @ 2450fps
1600ft-lbs
-18”
450 yards
.458 SOCOM
300gr @ 1800fps
2100ft-lbs
-53”
200 yards
.50 Beowulf
400gr @ 1800fps****
2878ft-lbs****
-50”
200 yards
*Max loading from Nosler Reloading manual
**At muzzle
***Sighted dead on at 100 yards
****According to Alexander Arms
Ready?
.300 AAC Blackout (.300 BLK)

L to R: 125gr .300 BLK, 150gr .300 BLK, 220gr .300 BLK, 5.56, 7.62×39
The .300 BLK was born out of the necessity to have a replacement for the sub-machine gun MP5SD which shot the pistol 9mm. It needed to be based on the M4 rifle, it needed to match or exceed a subsonic 9mm bullet, and it needed to be as quiet as possible.
Advanced Armament Company (AAC) took a .223 case, blew the mouth out to .30 caliber, and filled it with pistol powders.
BAM!
The Best Gun Deals, Coupons and Finds
Subscribe to Pew Pew Tactical's sales and deals email.

Subscribe
You now have a juiced up .30 caliber cartridge for your AR-15 that needs only a barrel change. No difference in magazines, lower receivers, or bolt carriers.
It is currently the only semi-auto cartridge that will reliable feed both supersonic and subsonic ammunition without hiccups.
Pros & Cons of .330 BLK
The really awesome things about .300 BLK is its performance out of a short barrel and the ability to shoot subsonic ammo with zero problems.
The .300 BLK was designed around a 9-inch barrel and it gets roughly 95% of its full potential with that barrel. Making it the absolute best cartridge for short barreled rifles and suppressed guns.
Check out our recommended Aero .300 BLK complete upper receivers.

Aero Precision 10-in .330 BLK Uppers
It is an ideal home defense gun with subsonic ammunition because it’s hearing safe if you use a suppressor.
If you’ve never lit off a gun, let alone a long gun, in a confined space I will personally attest that you WILL have hearing damage!
The problems with over penetration of the .300 BLK subsonic rounds take a back seat to the guaranteed hearing loss that will come out of a confined space shooting.
It isn’t perfect though, the suppressed rounds aren’t effective past 75 yards and none of the rounds have much steam after 250 yards. This is really a 300-yard maximum gun, mostly because of the excessive drop that occurs after you get past three football fields.
Readers' Ratings

4.93/5 (388)
Your Rating?



6.5 Grendel

L to R: 7.62×51, 6.5 Grendel, 5.56
The 6.5 Grendel made its debut at the Blackwater Training Facility in North Carolina in the summer of 2004.
The idea behind it was to neck down the 7.62×39, the round made for the original AK-47, to .264 caliber to take advantage of the favorable ballistics of the 6.5mm bullet.
Pros & Cons of 6.5 Grendel
The advantages of the 6.5mm bore are the extremely high ballistic coefficient and the extremely high sectional density. These two qualities make this round out perform the 7.62 NATO in both terminal and exterior ballistics.
It shoots flatter, stays supersonic longer, penetrates deeper, and has less recoil than a 7.62 NATO.
This sounds like an infomercial but the numbers are there. This round performs best for hunting and competitive shooting.
As a tactical round for home defense it’s too expensive, around $.90-1.20 a round. It also offers no advantages within 300 yards. And it’s hard to find uppers with under 20″ barrels.
The main downsides of this round is the high barrel erosion, high cost of ammunition, and difficulty finding magazines. Even basic parts like bolts and barrels are expensive. A Grendel bolt can run you over $300.
The weird magazines are banana shaped like an AK’s, which isn’t inherently bad, it’s just awkward with an AR-15 lower receiver. The 6.5mm bore burns out quickly but this isn’t normally a problem because the ammo is rare and usually expensive.
If all this doesn’t phase you…check out some 6.5 Grendel Uppers.
6.8 SPC

5.56, .300 BLK, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC
This round was developed as a long range option in the M4 for the Army’s marksmanship unit. They needed an exhibition round that would work well with the M4 to shoot in competitions and light field use.
What we do know is it was put up against the .300 BLK and 6.5 Grendel for replacement of the 5.56. While it performed admirably at ranges further than 250-yards, there was no practical point for the military using it since engagements were usually less than that.
Pros & Cons
This is a very cool round and it’s calling card is as a short range hunting round that shoots further than the .300 BLK and hits harder than the 5.56.
It’s a .270 caliber bullet right around 115gr that clocks in around 2600fps. It’s true that it carries 40% more energy than the 5.56 but the real advantage is the extra penetration and ballistic coefficient that comes with the extra bullet mass and cross section.
The downside to the 6.8 SPC is the availability of magazines.
Standard mil spec mags won’t work, because the feed lips and follower are different to accept the wider case.
Of course the barrel and bolt have to change but you only need one of each, and they can be bought in a package like this one, while multiple magazines can be hard to track down.
.458 SOCOM

.458 SOCOM vs 5.56
New to guns? Check out our online Beginner Handgun Course that teaches all the important stuff you need to know.
The best of the big woods thumpers, the .458 SOCOM was developed to have serious close quarters battle (CQB) stopping power for special operations forces.
The reason this cartridge beats out the other big bore AR-15 cartridges is because of the short barreled performance and availability of bullets in .458 diameter.
Pros & Cons
The .458 is a necked down .50 AE (of Desert Eagle fame) case which opens it up to a multitude of .458 bullets. It also uses fast-burning powders and heavy bullets that make it ideal for SBR’s and suppressors.
Unlike the .300 BLK whose subsonic rounds are a poor choice for hunting, the .458 throws 350gr+ slugs that can be used out to 75 yards for hunting thin skinned game.
With subsonic ammunition you get performance on par with a hot rodded .45 Colt and with supersonic rounds you get .45-70 glory wrapped in AR-15 clothes.
The .458 SOCOM saw limited use in the middle east for CQB operations because it throws a huge man stopper of a round in a small package and can be suppressed easily because of its short barreled performance.
Radical Firearms makes some great .458 SOCOM uppers.
.50 Beowulf
Coming from the minds that brought the 6.5 Grendel is the .50 Beowulf which then kicked off the big bore AR-15 concept. The origins of this round have been said for the military to stop vehicles at security checkpoints to prevent car bombings.

5.56 and Two of His .50 Beowulf Big Bros
Pros & Cons
The .50 Beowulf is the one of the ultimate “wow” rifles. It kicks like hell on both ends and it creates a clap of thunder when your wallet slams empty as you buy the ammunition.
The .50 Beowulf is a decent choice for hunting as it’ll certainly drop anything in North America. Trajectory is a slight concern as is the cost and availability of ammunition.
It’s currently loaded by a few ammunition houses but lacks options with premium bullets for high performance hunting.
So you’ll have to get started reloading.
As a home defense round it serves no real niche. It’s huge but normally comes with hard & deep penetrating bullets. That would make this round just as effective as using an M855 5.56 round for home defense in the sense it would pass through the target quickly imparting little damage.
The key to using this behemoth is to get close and use a bullets that’ll reliably open up and dump all of its massive amounts of energy. The .50 Beowulf is a round that’ll stomp most anything that walks (or drives) in North America and impress all your friend to boot!
Find some great .50 Beowulf Uppers from the original maker, Alexander Arms.
Cartridges to Avoid
We’ve gone through some all-star AR-15 alternative cartridges…what are some to avoid?

Cartridges to Avoid in AR-15, 7.62×39 and 5.45×39
5.45x39mm
5.45×39 was Russia’s answer to the 5.56 M16 on the battlefield as the ammo source of the AK-74. It’s been regarded as black magic death and the reason for maimed soldiers since the late 70’s.
Rounds used by the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan were so lightly constructed that they ricocheted and blew up when they hit wall boards. The bullets didn’t penetrate well and they didn’t kill well, but they did get a reputation for nasty superficial wounding.
That’s where the round’s wide wounding and explosive-like myth came from.
The main selling point of this round was that in years past you could find cheap surplus ammo…but the supply has long dried up. This leaves the steel cased Tula Ammo and Wolf on the market, but using it can have negative implications in direct impingement guns.
I say skip the 5.45 and go back to the regular 5.56. You don’t gain anything in the AR-15 when you switch the 5.54×39 except a lighter wallet and a less useful weapon.
7.62x39mm
The real OG of intermediate rounds which fed the infamous AK-47, this was the cartridge that really kicked off the arms race of intermediate carbines. A true .30 caliber it launches 120gr bullets or so at close to 2200fps from a rifle length barrel.
Seems like a perfect round right?
Unfortunately…no.
The taper of this case makes it necessary for dramatically curved magazines and custom lower receivers to work well. It also mostly uses the steel cased ammunition that uses the polymer coating that doesn’t work the best in direct impingement guns.
The 7.62 doesn’t offer anything the growing .300 BLK does better and doesn’t come in nearly as many loads and isn’t readily suppressed. Skip this round and get the .300 BLK.
However, if you must…try to get a custom lower receiver (like the RRA) that accepts an AK-47 magazine and moves the pistol grip further back to make it easier to rock the magazine forward.

RRA LAR-47 Rifle
Conclusion
Choosing an alternative AR-15 cartridge is a balance between different sacrifices of power, cost, and availability.
The hardest part can be just taking the plunge and picking a cartridge. And realizing you might need to learn how to reload that expensive ammo.
Some rounds are still boutique and may disappear in the future (cough, cough…6.5 Grendel…) but for now they’re fantastic rounds if the purpose suits your mission.
It’s hard to read the tea leaves for which round will be the next super star. Choose the one you like best and shoot it until the barrel burn out.
In the meantime, which round do you think will be next for mass acceptance? Or have we persuaded you to just upgrade your 5.56 AR-15.



Chuckles

 

[phrodeau]

WTF is wrong with you?

 

[Fuzzy1975]

Fuzzy1975 Chuckles

.300blk
$$
Barrel
Home defense, hunting, target shooting
6.8 SPC
$$
Barrel, Bolt, Magazines
Competitive shooting, hunting
6.5 Grendel
$$$
Barrel, Bolt, Magazines
Competitive shooting, hunting
.458 SOCOM
$$$$
Barrel & Bolt
Hunting
.50 Beowulf
$$$$
Barrel & Bolt
Hunting
Ballistic Comparison
Cartridge
Velocity*
Energy**
Drop at 300 yards***
Effective Range
.300blk
125gr @ 2200fps
1300ft-lbs
-25”
350 yards
6.8 SPC
110gr @ 2500fps
1500ft-lbs
-19”
450 yards
6.5 Grendel
120gr @ 2450fps
1600ft-lbs
-18”
450 yards
.458 SOCOM
300gr @ 1800fps
2100ft-lbs
-53”
200 yards
.50 Beowulf
400gr @ 1800fps****
2878ft-lbs****
-50”
200 yards
*Max loading from Nosler Reloading manual
**At muzzle
***Sighted dead on at 100 yards
****According to Alexander Arms
Ready?
.300 AAC Blackout (.300 BLK)

L to R: 125gr .300 BLK, 150gr .300 BLK, 220gr .300 BLK, 5.56, 7.62×39
The .300 BLK was born out of the necessity to have a replacement for the sub-machine gun MP5SD which shot the pistol 9mm. It needed to be based on the M4 rifle, it needed to match or exceed a subsonic 9mm bullet, and it needed to be as quiet as possible.
Advanced Armament Company (AAC) took a .223 case, blew the mouth out to .30 caliber, and filled it with pistol powders.
BAM!
The Best Gun Deals, Coupons and Finds
Subscribe to Pew Pew Tactical's sales and deals email.

Subscribe
You now have a juiced up .30 caliber cartridge for your AR-15 that needs only a barrel change. No difference in magazines, lower receivers, or bolt carriers.
It is currently the only semi-auto cartridge that will reliable feed both supersonic and subsonic ammunition without hiccups.
Pros & Cons of .330 BLK
The really awesome things about .300 BLK is its performance out of a short barrel and the ability to shoot subsonic ammo with zero problems.
The .300 BLK was designed around a 9-inch barrel and it gets roughly 95% of its full potential with that barrel. Making it the absolute best cartridge for short barreled rifles and suppressed guns.
Check out our recommended Aero .300 BLK complete upper receivers.

Aero Precision 10-in .330 BLK Uppers
It is an ideal home defense gun with subsonic ammunition because it’s hearing safe if you use a suppressor.
If you’ve never lit off a gun, let alone a long gun, in a confined space I will personally attest that you WILL have hearing damage!
The problems with over penetration of the .300 BLK subsonic rounds take a back seat to the guaranteed hearing loss that will come out of a confined space shooting.
It isn’t perfect though, the suppressed rounds aren’t effective past 75 yards and none of the rounds have much steam after 250 yards. This is really a 300-yard maximum gun, mostly because of the excessive drop that occurs after you get past three football fields.
Readers' Ratings

4.93/5 (388)
Your Rating?



6.5 Grendel

L to R: 7.62×51, 6.5 Grendel, 5.56
The 6.5 Grendel made its debut at the Blackwater Training Facility in North Carolina in the summer of 2004.
The idea behind it was to neck down the 7.62×39, the round made for the original AK-47, to .264 caliber to take advantage of the favorable ballistics of the 6.5mm bullet.
Pros & Cons of 6.5 Grendel
The advantages of the 6.5mm bore are the extremely high ballistic coefficient and the extremely high sectional density. These two qualities make this round out perform the 7.62 NATO in both terminal and exterior ballistics.
It shoots flatter, stays supersonic longer, penetrates deeper, and has less recoil than a 7.62 NATO.
This sounds like an infomercial but the numbers are there. This round performs best for hunting and competitive shooting.
As a tactical round for home defense it’s too expensive, around $.90-1.20 a round. It also offers no advantages within 300 yards. And it’s hard to find uppers with under 20″ barrels.
The main downsides of this round is the high barrel erosion, high cost of ammunition, and difficulty finding magazines. Even basic parts like bolts and barrels are expensive. A Grendel bolt can run you over $300.
The weird magazines are banana shaped like an AK’s, which isn’t inherently bad, it’s just awkward with an AR-15 lower receiver. The 6.5mm bore burns out quickly but this isn’t normally a problem because the ammo is rare and usually expensive.
If all this doesn’t phase you…check out some 6.5 Grendel Uppers.
6.8 SPC

5.56, .300 BLK, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC
This round was developed as a long range option in the M4 for the Army’s marksmanship unit. They needed an exhibition round that would work well with the M4 to shoot in competitions and light field use.
What we do know is it was put up against the .300 BLK and 6.5 Grendel for replacement of the 5.56. While it performed admirably at ranges further than 250-yards, there was no practical point for the military using it since engagements were usually less than that.
Pros & Cons
This is a very cool round and it’s calling card is as a short range hunting round that shoots further than the .300 BLK and hits harder than the 5.56.
It’s a .270 caliber bullet right around 115gr that clocks in around 2600fps. It’s true that it carries 40% more energy than the 5.56 but the real advantage is the extra penetration and ballistic coefficient that comes with the extra bullet mass and cross section.
The downside to the 6.8 SPC is the availability of magazines.
Standard mil spec mags won’t work, because the feed lips and follower are different to accept the wider case.
Of course the barrel and bolt have to change but you only need one of each, and they can be bought in a package like this one, while multiple magazines can be hard to track down.
.458 SOCOM

.458 SOCOM vs 5.56
New to guns? Check out our online Beginner Handgun Course that teaches all the important stuff you need to know.
The best of the big woods thumpers, the .458 SOCOM was developed to have serious close quarters battle (CQB) stopping power for special operations forces.
The reason this cartridge beats out the other big bore AR-15 cartridges is because of the short barreled performance and availability of bullets in .458 diameter.
Pros & Cons
The .458 is a necked down .50 AE (of Desert Eagle fame) case which opens it up to a multitude of .458 bullets. It also uses fast-burning powders and heavy bullets that make it ideal for SBR’s and suppressors.
Unlike the .300 BLK whose subsonic rounds are a poor choice for hunting, the .458 throws 350gr+ slugs that can be used out to 75 yards for hunting thin skinned game.
With subsonic ammunition you get performance on par with a hot rodded .45 Colt and with supersonic rounds you get .45-70 glory wrapped in AR-15 clothes.
The .458 SOCOM saw limited use in the middle east for CQB operations because it throws a huge man stopper of a round in a small package and can be suppressed easily because of its short barreled performance.
Radical Firearms makes some great .458 SOCOM uppers.
.50 Beowulf
Coming from the minds that brought the 6.5 Grendel is the .50 Beowulf which then kicked off the big bore AR-15 concept. The origins of this round have been said for the military to stop vehicles at security checkpoints to prevent car bombings.

5.56 and Two of His .50 Beowulf Big Bros
Pros & Cons
The .50 Beowulf is the one of the ultimate “wow” rifles. It kicks like hell on both ends and it creates a clap of thunder when your wallet slams empty as you buy the ammunition.
The .50 Beowulf is a decent choice for hunting as it’ll certainly drop anything in North America. Trajectory is a slight concern as is the cost and availability of ammunition.
It’s currently loaded by a few ammunition houses but lacks options with premium bullets for high performance hunting.
So you’ll have to get started reloading.
As a home defense round it serves no real niche. It’s huge but normally comes with hard & deep penetrating bullets. That would make this round just as effective as using an M855 5.56 round for home defense in the sense it would pass through the target quickly imparting little damage.
The key to using this behemoth is to get close and use a bullets that’ll reliably open up and dump all of its massive amounts of energy. The .50 Beowulf is a round that’ll stomp most anything that walks (or drives) in North America and impress all your friend to boot!
Find some great .50 Beowulf Uppers from the original maker, Alexander Arms.
Cartridges to Avoid
We’ve gone through some all-star AR-15 alternative cartridges…what are some to avoid?

Cartridges to Avoid in AR-15, 7.62×39 and 5.45×39
5.45x39mm
5.45×39 was Russia’s answer to the 5.56 M16 on the battlefield as the ammo source of the AK-74. It’s been regarded as black magic death and the reason for maimed soldiers since the late 70’s.
Rounds used by the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan were so lightly constructed that they ricocheted and blew up when they hit wall boards. The bullets didn’t penetrate well and they didn’t kill well, but they did get a reputation for nasty superficial wounding.
That’s where the round’s wide wounding and explosive-like myth came from.
The main selling point of this round was that in years past you could find cheap surplus ammo…but the supply has long dried up. This leaves the steel cased Tula Ammo and Wolf on the market, but using it can have negative implications in direct impingement guns.
I say skip the 5.45 and go back to the regular 5.56. You don’t gain anything in the AR-15 when you switch the 5.54×39 except a lighter wallet and a less useful weapon.
7.62x39mm
The real OG of intermediate rounds which fed the infamous AK-47, this was the cartridge that really kicked off the arms race of intermediate carbines. A true .30 caliber it launches 120gr bullets or so at close to 2200fps from a rifle length barrel.
Seems like a perfect round right?
Unfortunately…no.
The taper of this case makes it necessary for dramatically curved magazines and custom lower receivers to work well. It also mostly uses the steel cased ammunition that uses the polymer coating that doesn’t work the best in direct impingement guns.
The 7.62 doesn’t offer anything the growing .300 BLK does better and doesn’t come in nearly as many loads and isn’t readily suppressed. Skip this round and get the .300 BLK.
However, if you must…try to get a custom lower receiver (like the RRA) that accepts an AK-47 magazine and moves the pistol grip further back to make it easier to rock the magazine forward.

RRA LAR-47 Rifle
Conclusion
Choosing an alternative AR-15 cartridge is a balance between different sacrifices of power, cost, and availability.
The hardest part can be just taking the plunge and picking a cartridge. And realizing you might need to learn how to reload that expensive ammo.
Some rounds are still boutique and may disappear in the future (cough, cough…6.5 Grendel…) but for now they’re fantastic rounds if the purpose suits your mission.
It’s hard to read the tea leaves for which round will be the next super star. Choose the one you like best and shoot it until the barrel burn out.
In the meantime, which round do you think will be next for mass acceptance? Or have we persuaded you to just upgrade your 5.56 AR-15.



Chuckles

^^^^^^


"Triggered" much?

Another stupid post....pssttt anyone can be an encyclopedia with Google, I see you just found the site....

Chuckles,

 

[Fuzzy1975]

WTF is wrong with you?

A fixation with guns is often tied to the term Penis Envy as Freud said;

“All complicated machines and appliances are very probably the genitals — as a rule the male genitals — in the description of which the symbolism of dreams is as indefatigable as human wit. It is quite unmistakable that all weapons and tools are used as symbols for the male organ: e.g., ploughshare, hammer, gun, revolver, dagger, sword, etc.”

So I think that answer your Question Phrodeau...

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/06/remember-freud-said-men-obsess-guns-small-genitals/

 

[Ziggins]

Fake environmentalists will kill us all in their pursuit of quarterly profits!

FTFY

 

[Singleboy2]

Vegas odds 100%

 

[enigma3]

Fucking hell the OP is right we will all die........no shit sherlock. can we move on now.